Page 1 of The Hero She Deserves

CHAPTER ONE

Deputy Sheriff Sawyer Lane shoved out of his sheriff’s department SUV and headed for his place.

Thank God this day was over. Most of the time, being a deputy sheriff on Maui suited him. Usually, he dealt with petty theft and lost tourists.Easy. There was no one shooting at him. No friends dying.

He stopped at the base of the steps to his front porch and rubbed the back of his stiff neck. Today was the exception to that rule. There had been a bad car accident on the Kahekili Highway. Two carloads of tourists had hit each other. An eight-year-old boy had been trapped in the twisted metal. Sawyer had held the boy’s hand, trying to keep him calm, while the firefighters had cut him free.

Hell, he hoped the kid made it. The boy had been airlifted to the Maui Medical Center, and his prognosis had been good. Sawyer would call into the center in the morning and see how Tyler was doing.

His boots clunked on the wooden steps, and he pulled out his keys and unlocked the front door. He wanted a beer, and a few moments of solitude. He slowed on his walk to the kitchen, and stared out the window above the sink. Looking at the oceannever failed to soothe him. Just looking at the water evened out the ragged edges inside.

Sawyer knew that moving to Hawaii after he’d left the military had saved his life.

The memories tugged at him—both good and bad. Sometimes he missed his team, missed the importance of the work. Most of the time, he didn’t. Especially at night when he couldn’t sleep.

He couldn’t remember the last time he’d had a full night’s sleep.

He pulled open the fridge and grabbed a bottle of Black Pearl made right there on Maui by the Maui Brewing Company. He popped the top and had just lifted the bottle to his lips when his cellphone rang.

“Dammit.” Setting the bottle down, he pulled his phone out and saw Benny’s name on the screen. “Lane.”

“Bro, you know it’s me, why do you always answer with your surname?”

“It’s how I answer the phone.” Despite the bro, Benny was Sawyer’s cousin. Somehow, despite being born and raised in Montana, Benny had fallen in love with the ocean. He had long, sun-bleached hair, and was a champion windsurfer. He’d come to Paia, on Maui’s north shore, as it was the windsurfing capital of Hawaii. He’d then fallen in love with a local Hawaiian woman.

“You home?” Benny asked.

“Yeah, I just stepped inside.”

“Sawyer, man, I need a favor.”

Sawyer sighed. His hope of a beer and solitude evaporating. “Go on.”

“Uncle Duke called and said the smoke alarm is going off at Archer’s place.”

Sawyer’s gaze moved to the window again. Down closer to the water he saw the roof of Archer Kent’s holiday home. Itwas perched right on the water’s edge and fancy as hell. It was nothing like Sawyer’s simple, traditional, wooden cottage.

Archer only used the place a couple of times a year and was rarely there. He and Benny were friends from their early windsurfing days. Archer had gone on to become a successful stuntman, and lived in LA.

Sawyer frowned. “I don’t see any smoke.”

“Can you check it out? Uncle Duke was walking past and heard the noise. I’d drive over, but Kalani just got in the shower. We’re going to her parents’ place for dinner. Some of her aunts and uncles are over from the Big Island.”

Sawyer knew exactly how big Benny’s wife’s family was. They’d welcomed Benny with open arms, then when his cousin had convinced Sawyer to come and stay, they’d welcomed him, too.

Benny was on the other side of town. If he came over to check, he’d be late for his family dinner. “It’s fine. I’ll go over and take a look.”

“Bro, I owe you. Thanks.”

“Say hi to Kalani, and I’ll see you later.”

Relaxing with his Black Pearl would have to wait.

He didn’t bother driving, and instead, took the winding path through the trees. Flowers were blooming somewhere, scenting the air. This path led down to the beach, and he often went down to jog on the sand when he had the time.

Archer’s place came into view. It definitely made Sawyer’s simple cottage look bland and boring. It was modern, with lots of glass, wood, and steel. As he neared the front door, the insistent beep of a smoke alarm became audible.

He also noted a rental car out front. A flashy, little BMW.

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